Update

So we've been busy. Being Junior sponsors has taken over our lives. Dress checks, skit rehearsals, planning committees... it will be good when Junior Presentation is over. Maybe I'll see my husband some evenings... I can dream at least. So besides that I'm off to a good start so far this year with my resolution to read more books. I've read six so far. Not bad for four weeks. And I've almost completed a really great scarf. Very soft and fuzzy.

Next week we get our first homeleave of the new year and we're going to spend the night in New York, a first. We'll leave here around noon on Wednesday, and hope to get to New York in time to see the Daily Show. Then get a bite to eat and see Billy Elliot! I'm super excited about that. This trip is my birthday present, and I've wanted to see Billy Elliot since I heard it was coming to New York. It's supposed to be amazing. So then we'll spend the night and find something to do on Thursday and then come home.

We've also been doing some job hunting in hopes of moving to Nashville this summer. No bites yet, but we've been sending out the resumes. We need to decide by mid-March, so please keep that in your prayers as we struggle to make this decision. If we don't move we might go to Europe again, just to give me something to look forward to. I guess we're Europe junkies now.

So that's the main stuff that's going on, besides all the little things, like coordinating Children's Story, being greeters at church, being on supervision, teaching and doing song service at church this week. I get tired just reading this.

Also, there's been a lot of snow. I'm done. I don't even think it's pretty anymore. It's just in the way. Spring can not come fast enough.

Good books

This year I didn't try to read a book a week. Instead, I focused on trying to read award-winning books and books that came highly recommended by others. So here is a list of some of my favorite books of the year. I hope it helps you pick a good one.

The Good Good Pig-true story of a family and their pig. Heartwarming animal story.
The Known World-novel about free blacks in the pre-civil war south who owned slaves. Pulitzer prize winner.
People of the Book-historical fiction about the Sarajevo Haggadah, a valuable Jewish book which was saved by Muslims and Christians.
Grace Eventually-the newest memoir by Anne Lamott.
Year of Wonders-Historical novel about a town in England that is hit by the plague.
I am Asher Lev-I love Chaim Potok, one of my favorites of his.
First They Killed My Father-memoir about the Cambodian genocide.
Gathering Blue-Juvenile fiction - Lois Lowry's companion to The Giver
The Center Cannot Hold-memoir about living with Schizophrenia
The Law of Similars-novel about homeopathy and the choices we make in extreme circumstances
March-historical novel about Mr. March of Little Women, Pulitzer Prize winner, don't read if you want to keep your Little Women vision intact (but a very interesting book)
So Brave, Young and Handsome-novel by the author of Peace Like a River. Adventure and redemption.
The Lost-memoir/history, the author tries to find out what happened to six of his family members during the Holocaust. Kind of heavy and fact-laden, but very interesting to me.
Messenger-Juvenile fiction - companion to The Giver and Messenger
The Almost Moon-novel about family ties and mental illness. Pretty dark, but intriguing.

So those are my favorite books of 2008. There are about eight more that are in progress, you know how that goes... So I'll update if one of them makes it onto my favorites list before the end of the year. This post was especially for Kristina. =)